Celexa Insomnia

Celexa is a class of anti-depressant medication known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI).

Celexa insomnia, or celexa-induced insomnia, may be linked to celexa’s therapeutic effect on serotonin’s action within the brain but this is by far a weak link at best and does not outweigh the benefits in treating depression.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found extensively through the brain and nervous system.

It is secreted by neurons in an area of the brainstem known as the Raphe nucleus and acts on a variety of excitatory and inhibitory receptors within the brain including the area controlling wakefulness. It is the action of serotonin on the receptors in the sleep areas of the brain that imply a link between insomnia and serotonin.

In the treatment of depression, Celexa extends the length of time serotonin remains active in the brain. Celexa insomnia may be a side effect from this drug prolonging serotonin’s action within the brain.

Unfortunately, side effects occur with the prescription of nearly any drug.

Insomnia is a relatively common side effect and can be caused by a wide variety of drugs. Celexa insomnia was noted during drug safety trials on volunteer subjects.

Celexa Insomnia

In these drug trials Celexa’s affect on humans compared test subjects given celexa against those given a placebo. (A placebo is essentially a sugar pill having no pharmaceutical effect on the test subject.) Celexa insomnia occurred in 15% of the test subjects with 3% of these subjects asking to be removed from the trial. While these numbers seem high, 14% of the test subjects in the placebo group experienced some form of insomnia and 1% also asked to be removed from the trial. This data does not provide strong support for celexa insomnia though it also does not remove the possibility of celexa insomnia as an adverse event either.

Generally, the prolonged action of serotonin may cause sleeplessness and, seeing as Celexa is designed to prolong this neurotransmitter’s activity to effectively treat depression, it could be implicated in celexa insomnia. However, what is well known and documented is Celexa’s effectiveness as an anti-depressant medication. Also, if you do feel you experience insomnia induced by celexa, you may want to talk to your physician about taking it earlier in the day to ward off celexa insomnia.